Egg-shelling separator



22, '1949. P. M. SERBu EGG-SHELLING SEPARATOR Filed Oct. 20, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I At torney,

March 22,1949. RIM. SERBU 2,465,176

I EGG;SHELLING SEPARAT 0R Filed 0ct'.'20, 1944. 4'Sheets- Sheet 2 Inventor jferffdezhl Q By I a Attorneys March 22, 1949. P. M. st ilau I I EGG-SHELLING SEPARATOR 4 Sheds-Sheet 4 Fild Oct. 20-. 1944 Invexitor Attorny;

Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STAES OFFICE 2,465,176 EGG-'SHELLING sEPA'n-A'r'o'rt Peter M. Serbu, Willingdon, Alberta, Ganada- Application October 20, 1944, Serial No. 559,564 In Canada November 16, 1943 (or. i46-2) 3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to egg-shelling means and, more particularly, automatic highoutput devices for cutting open and emptying eggs of their contents.

The main object of the invention, therefore, resides in the provision of apparatus for decapitating eggs and emptying same in a highly efficient manner.

A further object concerns an apparatus of the character described which is relatively simple, rugged and easily operated.

Still another object provides for egg-shelling apparatus which is sanitary, easily kept clean and wherein provision is made for detecting and reiec'ting bad eggs.

A still further object resides in the provision of an egg-sheller of the character described, operable by unskilled labor in a safe manner and at high speed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent, or be further pointed out, during the description to follow.

As an example, and for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine object of the invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through said machine,

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one egg-carrier, with flap raised, a number of said carriers constitutin an endless chain for supporting the eggs to be operated upon,

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the cam mechanism for actuating the egg-sawing means,

Figure 5 is a partial plan view of the driving end of the mechanism with a portion of the upper reach of the chain removed to show the lower reach thereof,

Figure 6 is a partial enlarged vertical section through the chain taken on line 66 of Figure 2,

Figure '7 is a vertical section across one eggcarrier showing the flap lowered and the saw in operating position,

Figure 8 is another vertical section through the carrier with the flap raised and engaged in its guiding track,

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one egg-cup,

and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the means on the carrier for removably supporting'the cut.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters represent corresponding parts throughout, it will be seen that the machine is essentially comprised of a frame F having legs l5 and side beams iii, The legs carry upstanding extensions H which serve to support the entire mechanism.

To said extensions l'i, over the beams it, are secured side walls Hi to which the elements of the apparatus are secured, such as: the sawa-ctuating motor S, the endless chain drivin motor E, and the chain itself C.

The egg-conveying means shown in Figure 1, and constituted of the endless chain C already mentioned, is formed of a great number of the egg-carriers illustrated in Figure 3, each of said carriers comprising a base plate 28 having a plurality of equally spaced apertures 21 and secured at each end to a link 22 of an endless sprocket chain 23. To one side of the plate 20 there is hinged a flap 24 having circular apertures 25 formed therein, corresponding in location and in spacing to the apertures 2| of the base plate 20. Said apertures 25 are smaller than the corresponding ones of the base plate and adapted to register therewith when the flap 2 3 is lowered against the base plate. Finally, the flap 24 is completed by the addition, to the free edge of the flap, of extension pins 26 projecting beyond the ends of said flap, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hinge 27 connecting together the flap 2t and the base plate 20.

The endless chain C, constituted as before explained of the egg carriers and the sprocket chain 23, is normally supported between the end walls :8, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, and trained over suitable pulleys at each end of the frame and resting over the supporting members 30 secured to the inner side of the walls It and forming with the cross braces 3! and said walls 18 a strong, self-supporting structure.

As shown to advantage in Figures 2, 5 and 6, the chain C is driven by means of sprocket gears secured to a driving axle 36, said sprocket gears engaging the link 22 of the chain 23 trained thereover. Obviously, the supporting pulleys 31 mounted .on shaft 38, to the left of the machine, are smooth and do not carry the teeth of gears 35 since said pulleys 31 only act to support the chain C in proper position.

The axle 36 is driven in a clockwise direction by means of the electric motor E through the intermediary of suitable gearing enclosed in the housing shown in Figures 1 and 5. Thus, the endless chain is propelled from the left to the right of the machine, carrying therewith the eggs placed thereon by the operator and retaining said eggs until the operation of decapitating' and emptying of thecontents has been completed.

For the purpose of carrying the eggs, the eggcarriers are provided with cups 45 having at the top thereof a pair of diametrically disposed lugs 46, which lugs engage the aligned slots 41 formed in the downwardly depending tongue 48 integral with the edge of the aperture 25 provided in the base plate 24. As shown in Figure 10, the slots 41 are so disposed that the cups are inserted by a slight rotation, and removed by a similar rotation in opposite direction. This arrangement has for an object to permit easy and rapid removal of the cups, when desired, such as for instance whenever unedible eggs are found after decapitation.

After the eggs have been disposed in the cups, with the small end uppermost, means are provided for retaining the eg s in the cups, said means comprising the flaps 24 already described, which flaps are provided with apertures 25 through which the upper end of the eggs project when said flap is folded in base plate contacting position. As shown in Figure 7, the small end of the eggs protrudes only slightly through the apertures 25, approximately one-sixth of the length of the egg, whereby said egg is firmly retained in the cup during decapitation, and also to hold the cut shell while the contents are being emptied.

The mechanism or means for closing and lifting the flap 24 consists of a guide track 50 which is simply a channeled bar in the channel of which the outer end of the extension pin 25 is engaged. The contour of this guide track is shown clearly in Figure 2, where it will be seen that whenever it is desired to raise a flap from the base plate, the guide track is spaced a certain distance from the chain, whereas, as in the middle of the machine and at the driving end, the track is close to the chain, whereby the movement thereof lowers the flap against the base plate to retain the egg in the cup 45.

Consequently, to the left of the machine, where loading of the cups is performed, the flaps 24 are raised to permit this operation and, accordingly, the track 50 is spaced from the chain a distance corresponding to the width of the flap. In the middle of the machine, where the sawing operation is performed, the flaps are lowered and, as shown in Figure 2, the track 5!) curves to a position close to and parallel with the chain C in order to lower the flaps into contact with the cups 45, while the eggs are being decapitated. Inasmuch as it is desirable to inspect the contents of the decapitated eggs, before said contents are removed, the flaps are again raised immediately after the sawing off operation and, therefore, the track 50 is spaced from the chain C. Finally, to carry the opened shells around the pulley 35, prior to emptying the contents of the eggs into the container 5|, it is evident that the shells of the eggs must be secured and, for that purpose, the flaps lowered thereagainst. This is why the track 50 is close to the pulley 35 and remains so for a certain distance underneath, until the empty shells are clear of the container 5| to prevent the shells from falling therein.

The empty shells are disposed off, and removed from the cups, when the flaps are again raised over the container 52 acting as a receptacle for the empty egg shells. Thereafter, the flaps remain raised during their travel around the pulleys 31, and until the eggs have been loaded into the cups and about to be decapitated.

This decapitating action is effectuated by means of a rapidly reciprocated, finely toothed saw 55, said saw being in the form of a. narrow thin blade supported at both ends by means of sleeves 55 secured to the side walls I8 in diametrally aligned relation. As shown in Figure 7, the saw 55 is disposed horizontally, just above the flap 24, when in lowered position, and therefore extends across the path of the egg travelling with the endless chain from the left to the right of the machine. It is obvious, therefore, that whenever the eggs reach this rapidly moving saw, the tops thereof are neatly removed to expose the contents of the eggs to be emptied.

The tops of the shells sawed-off are received into a, pan 58 having sides 59 and a forwardly curving back 65. Said pan is removably supported between the walls I 8 and is adapted to be removed for periodical emptying.

The saw actuating mechanism may comprise a cylinder cam 65 having a groove 66 in which a pin 67, preferably a roller, is engaged. Inasmuch as the pin is secured to a block 88 at one end of the saw 55, it is evident that rapid rotation of the cam 65 shall actuate the block 68 and impart to the saw a corresponding motion. The cam may be rotated by suitable gearing 10 propelled at a suitable speed by the motor S supported onto side walls l8 by means of the bracket H. Obviously, instead of the motor S a pulley or other powertransmission means can be used to actuate the gearing 10 directly from the electric motor E, if this is desired.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that eggs loaded at one end of the machine are neatly opened, left for a while in position for inspection purposes, and thereafter turned upsidedown and emptied into a common container, the empty shells being dropped in a separate receptacle. Naturally, the eggs must be graded as the size in order to fit properly into the cups and to project the proper distance above the flaps 24.

It will be noted that with a correctly graded e g, the portion protruding through the aperture 25 of the flap corresponds substantially to the air-space of eggs and especially of eggs kept in cold storage. Therefore, opening the eggs at this point represent very little waste, if any, of the contents thereof, and result in a minimum of spilled liquid tending to soil the machine and gumup the moving parts. Besides, due to the accessibility of all the parts of the machine, the cleaning thereof is relatively easy in a rather short time. Thus, it can be kept in perfectly sanitary condition at all times, with very little labor.

After the eggs have been decapitated and the flaps raised, immediately beyond the pan 58, the flaps are again raised as previously described. At this point of the operation, eggs that may not be edible can be easily removed either by removing the cup holding said egg or lifting the egg itself from the cup, as the case may be.

The machine may be operated by a minimum of two operators, one for leading purposes and the other for checking purposes. With very little experience, one person may place three eggs with each hand in the cups, and therefore using both hands, can fill one row of cups at a speed such that three dozen may be shelled in one minute, or one hundred and eighty dozen in an hour. Assuming an eight hour day, one thousand four hundred and forty dozen of eggs can be shelled very easily and with a minimum expenditure of power and labor. In comparison with the hand shelling and with other machines previously suggested, shelling one egg at a time, it is evident that the present is an advance of the art in that it easily permits operating on six eggs at one time, at least, so that a relatively high output of shelled eggs is easily obtained.

It must be understood that various changes as to size, arrangement and shape of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An apparatus of the character described, comprising endless conveying means for supporting eggs in rows, a driving mechanism for moving said conveying means over horizontal pulleys, egg-shell decapitating means disposed in the path of the moving egg rows, means for receiving the contents of the decapitated eggs as they are inverted by the conveying means, apertured flap-s pivotally secured to said conveying means, each of said flaps adapted to hold a row of eggs in the conveying means when pivoted thereagainst, and means adjacent to said conveying means for engaging said flaps whereby the latter pivots to hold the eggs during the decapitating and emptying operations and to release the egg-shells after the emptying operation.

2. An egg sheller comprising an endless chain constituted of a plurality of transverse apertured plates pivotally connected together on one side, horizontal spaced pulleys over which the chain is trained, means for driving one of said pulleys to advance the chain, cups adapted to be removably inserted in the apertures of the plates for supporting transverse rows of eggs in upright position across the chain, a saw movable across and above the moving chain to decapitate the eggs, means for oscillating said saw, and means for automatically holding the eggs in the cups during 6 the decapitating operation and the subsequent emptying of the decapitated shells when in inverted position underneath the chain.

3. In an egg-sheller including an endless chain trained over spaced horizontal pulleys and means for driving one of said pulleys to advance the chain, means on the chain for supporting transverse rows of eggs in upright position thereon comprising transverse apertured plates secured across the chain, automatic holding means for each row of eggs consisting of a flap hingedly secured to one side of each of said plates, said flap having apertures corresponding in number and spacing to those of the plates, extension pins provided at the outer ends of the flap, a track adjacent the chain in which the extension pins are guided for pivoting the flap to hold and to release a row of eggs, a saw movable across and above the moving chain, and means for reciprocating said saw, whereby the eggs held by the flaps are decapitated by the saw, subsequently emptied underneath the chain and the empty shells released therefrom.

PETER M. SERBU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,496,312 Harkin June 3, 1924 1,560,053 Harkin Nov. 3, 1925 1,837,357 Chapman Dec. 22, 1931 2,090,963 Reese Aug. 24, 1937 2,126,226 Smith et al Aug. 9, 1938 

